Happy Thanksgiving From Hot Stove Cubbies

I just want to thank each and every one of you that make Hot Stove Cubbies even relevant.  This blog all started back on November 9th of 2006 and has been growing ever since. Since last year I have gained just under 900 followers on twitter, have been mentioned on the radio several times, have had 250,000 unique page views in the past year, and close to a million hits since December of last year.  Not bad for just one man doing something he loves.  Without readers, posters, tweeters, and die hard Cub fans like yourselves this site would have not been possible.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart and.....

GO CUBS!

Not The Only Cubs Move Today....

The Cubs finally made their roster moves to protect the youngsters they did not want to lose in the Rule 5 draft. They put 2nd baseman Logan Watkins, 3rd baseman Christian Villanueva, pitching prospect Trey McNutt, and high upside pitcher Robert Whitenack all on the 40 man.  Which all wre hoped for and somewhat expected to have a spot on the roster.

In the corresponding moves the Cubs did trade Brigham for Loux opening up one spot on the 40 man roster. They also designated Bryan LaHair for assignment (who is expected to continue his baseball career in Japan) and waived pitcher Carlos Gutierrez who then cleared waivers and was sent to Iowa.

One thing that I am surprised with is Nick Struck being left off the 40 man and Steve Clevenger being left on. But it should be noted Struck could end up not being picked, he could still be traded, and if he does get picked he has to remain on the other team’s roster for the whole year or else he gets offered back.

It should also be noted that the Cubs may in fact still waive, trade, or DFA players on the 40 man roster. This deadline was just to protect those prospects eligible for the Rule 5 draft.

Until Next Time...

Barret Loux for Jake Brigham

The Cubs finally made a move today by trading Jake Brigham to Texas (oddly enough Texas traded him to the Cubs for Soto) for Barret Loux.  The trade removes Brigham from the 40 man roster and the Cubs add the 20th best prospect in the Rangers system in Loux (he will not be on the 40 man).  The now 23 year old pitcher was the Diamondbacks 1st round pick, 6th overall, in the 2010 draft.  Loux is projected as a back of the rotation starter in the big leagues and has some nice numbers in the minors. Two seasons in high A and AA he compiled a 22-6 record with a 3.62 ERA in 236 innings pitched.  He struck out 227 in his two season while walking only 75.

This is both a now and future move with the Cubs. The now part of the move is clearing up a spot on the 40 man roster and the future move is because Cubs also believe Loux could figure into the back end of the rotation if he continues his successful numbers with the Cubs minor league affiliates.

Cubs Notes: A Big Trade, Signings, Rumored Trades, and More....

-       UPDATE:  FROM THE INFAMOUS BRUCE LEVINE via TWITTER-

        Chicago Cubs are not presently in discussions to move any of their young players .

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The Cubs are courting top Japanese reliever Kyuji Fujikawa who visited Wrigley on Saturday. He is a 32 year old closer who throws in the mid 90’s and has a sub 2.00 ERA. Definitely a guy that will be highly sought after in the free agent market. Because he is a FA he does not go through the posting process.

- The Cubs have interest in Rick Porcello according to George Ofman via twitter but he is also getting attention from various other teams.

- The Cubs have re-signed Shawn Camp to a one year $1.35M deal with 200K in incentives.

- The Cubs continue to eye Lonnie Chisenhall and Nick Castellanos to fill their hole at 3^rd for the future.

- Doug Glanville and Dan Pleasc will not be the next Cubs announcer but Jim Deshales has moved into the finalist round.

- The Cubs are really trying hard to move Carlos Marmol.

- The deadline to protect players from the rule 5 draft is tomorrow so each team is expect to make a flurry of moves to protect those players including the Cubs who roster stands at 39 players.

- Bruce Levine hinted on Saturday there is a big trade on the horizon with the Cubs involving young players. Let the speculation start on which team and players because he did not hint to those things. The teams/players that could be involved are the Indians with Masterson, Santana, Chisenhall, Brantley, etc; the Padres with Gyorko and Kelly, the Jays with prospects, and Detroit with Castellanos and Porcello. Either way I expect Bruce is right reading the tea leafs from Theo, Jed, and “leaked” information.

- The Cubs have signed catcher Dioner Navarro to a major league deal worth $1.75M. He will likely serve as primary backup to Welington Castillo. This also could spell out the end of Clevenger in one way or another.

Until Next Time…